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This Is Me--2019 A to Z Theme

The Challenge of 2019 was the 10th! Since this was kind of a milestone year for A to Z my theme was a retrospective of sorts, looking at my 10 years as a blogger as well as ruminations about my life as it is and as I hope it yet can be. I've got places to be and people to see along the way. Hope you'll join me for this part of my journey...

Always a work in progress--welcome to my blog.

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Saturday, September 1, 2018

Let's Run (#BOTB) (#IWSG)

In this post I will be debuting the song "Let's Run" which was written for my favorite singing star, Marley Lego. You likely have not heard of her, but she's still a star in my eyes--she's my oldest granddaughter...

Marley posing with some fans.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh'sInsecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog.

September 5 question - What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?

As I have mentioned in most of my posts since May, I've begun to focus on songwriting. I've been writing songs off and on since high school, but in April I became consumed with a song that I called "Let's Run" which I dedicated to my oldest granddaughter Marley whose singing performances had inspired my writing of the song. Later in this post I will debut the song with three different recordings.

I know very little about getting a song published. I've seen movies and heard stories about songwriters trying to peddle songs to publishers or whoever would listen. I've done minimal research though I know there is much information online about this topic. Maybe I'll take this traditional approach in the weeks or months to come, but for now I'm going to just put the song out there as a sort of market test. And to just have some fun putting something I've been talking about on my blog on actual display for public consumption.

The way I figure it, "Let's Run" is just one of many songs that I've written and new songs have been flooding my creative mind of late. If I'm taking a bad route with this "putting-it-out-there approach then I'll do things differently the next time around. For now I've had fun with this project and hope you listen and enjoy. Then, once you've done that. please vote and leave your comments.

I'm counting on you readers to help me with this project which might just lead me down a publishing path. I've seen YouTube video break-outs before and I guess we just never know. Especially when you're taking your first shot at doing something like I'm doing with my song.

Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.Let's Run

As the 2018 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge was winding down I began feeling a creative surge that began to focus on music. Songs starting invading my brain space. This was primarily due to video performances by Marley that were being put up on Facebook.

Then an odd melody began recurring in my thoughts. It was a very peculiar simple melodic line which in actuality was not very melodic. As these weird notes repeated themselves in my head, words began coming along with an expanded melody until I had a song. I decided that this was Marley's song and maybe one day she might work up a version to sing.

Why the lyrics were about running I can't really say since I've never been a runner and cannot run due to a heart arrhythmia. But as I wrote I realized that the song was not so much about actual running as it was about persistence and staying in the race of life. In the song life is a marathon and we need to keep on running in that race. The message was as much for me as it is for any of us.

Here are three versions that are very different in style and approach--keep in mind that all are very rough drafts. I hope you listen, provide your feedback, and vote for the version you like the best...

Bird/Palma/Lucero "Let's Run" (2018)

Toward the end of May after I had finished writing "Let's Run", I happened to catch my next door neighbor Ricardo Palma as I was picking up my mail. I complimented him on his music website space at Bandcamp which I had recently discovered. Richard is a friend of my youngest daughter (Marley's mother) so when I mentioned my song for Marley he immediately volunteered to help me record a version with his music software program and his own musical ability. I gladly accepted since I didn't have much to work with on my own.

Using his phone, Richard recorded me singing the song without accompaniment. I know little about chords and writing music so it was in Richard's hands to figure out an arrangement. Interestingly, his version was so different that what I had been hearing in my head and yet it worked very well.

I like the way Ricardo imagined the song with a sixties surf vibe--or at least that's the way that I hear it. Someone else said it reminded him of the group The Cars. Beyond arranging this version, Ricardo also laid down 3 guitar tracks, one percussion track, and produced the entire sound. Another neighbor, Nate Lucero, played bass guitar and I sang the vocals. Ricardo used the Garageband app through his computer.

If you're able to watch the video as you listen to the music you might note that I did a pretty decent job of matching the visuals to the lyric content. All video is from my past summer's vacation. The road scenes were all shot by me while driving alone from New Jersey to Los Angeles (via Texas). The journey segments shown start in Virginia, passing through East Tennessee and West Texas, and finally skirting a massive dust storm on I-10 just east of Phoenix. The running kids are three of my grandkids.

By the way, I often had the CD of "Let's Run" playing loudly as I drove on my trip. As you might agree as you watch the road footage, this song version makes for a darn good driving song...

Lonnie Carver "Let's Run" (2018)

Some of you probably recall that I had put out a call for other musicians to contribute their own versions of the song (an offer still open). I only got one taker so far and that comes from my friend of 50 years, Lonnie Carver. This multi-talented performer has been involved with music since he was a kid and continues to this day. He's been a great friend over the years and once again he's pulled through for me with his version of "Let's Run".

Using the Garageband app installed on his Ipad, Lonnie recorded his version with just him singing while backing himself on his guitar. He gives the song a nice laid back Tennessee vibe that takes me back to my roots. After making his recording, Lonnie sent me the file which I added to a video I made. Once again I've used my vacation driving footage from West Texas.

Enjoy...

Arlee Bird "Let's Run" (2018)

Are we ready to get weird? As I was contemplating ideas for more cover versions of the song I remembered something I used to do back in the late seventies to make recordings of my songs. Using two cassette decks, I would lay down a first track on one, then play that recording back while singing or playing something else over it and record that on the other tape deck. I would record layers of sound back and forth between the decks until the sound quality was too diminished to continue.

I decided to use this approach using my video camera in my living room. This was an exercise in ineptitude and figuring things out by trial and error. The video took over a week to make with numerous reshoots in an attempt to come up with an acceptable product. Eventually I settled for the version seen here. I was tired and wanted to get this done.

During the shooting process I did two different takes of me playing the violin and a final one with me singing in front of the big screen TV which is displaying the previously recorded layered video. In all there are five layers of video and audio. The percussion mostly got lost in the mix, but considering my lack of equipment the sound is not too badly balanced.

It's a bit of a mess I'll admit, but I don't think it's a total disaster. Perhaps we can call it an interesting experiment. See what you think...

Time to Vote!Don't worry about hurting my feelings with your vote. After all the song is mine and whichever version wins your vote still makes me a winner. I just want people to listen and vote. What's your favorite between these two choices? Which song version do you like best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.

Winner of this Battle Announced on Monday September 10th
I'll be giving this Battle some extra time for voting to come in--at least I'm hoping to get more votes than I usually get on these Battles. Please help me out with this and share the post and encourage others to participate.

Are you hesitant to post excerpts of your work on your blog or elsewhere online? Have you ever tried to get a song published? What is the most number of times you've submitted the same work before getting an acceptance to publish?

126 comments:

Are there no ends to your talents Arlee.? I love the "Take Two Version". seeing you singing your song took me back to that wonderful day we met up in LA. some years ago. Good luck with your music but pleas keep blogging...... we would miss you.Yvonne.

Video wise, the one with you in it was great! I loved that you attempted something that had to be a pain to time out. I also love the fact that you are able to let someone take what is yours and put their mark on it, and then put it forward. Shows the message is bigger than the ego, to me. I vote for Lonnie.

Alex, sometimes songwriting can be complicated while at other times the songs just seem to flow from nowhere. I've always had an aptitude for coming up with songs in my head. It's bringing them to a performance level where I've had my problems.

I really enjoyed all three videos for different reasons. Love the road trip footage and also your take on the song. You're a real showman, Lee! ☺ That said, strictly going on vocals and music, my vote goes to Lonnie. Congratulations on seeing one of your dreams realized!

I love your humour in your last video at the end. Your singing is great and I love your lyrics and the composition. You are very talented and when I think of all the garbage out there ( like Rihanna’s , “work, work, work, work, work”...she sounds like the Penguin from Batman) with nothing but repetition, your song should be right up there because it’s so much better. I enjoyed the first one with the 60’s flavour but I give my vote to Lonnie who created it more as a folk tune. Lonnie gets my vote because, with the open road it reminds me of the ballads from Woody Guthrie

I LOVE the first version. Your grandkids and the pillow advertisement on television add poetic elements. My second choice would be your fascinating violin duet which is creative. The hat and glasses made me think of Terry Bradshaw. Lol

WOW! This is a first for BOTB, LEE! CONGRATULATIONS on being able to make this BOTB idea a reality! And it's wonderful that you have such good friends who were willing to spend their time and talents on helping you to create this match-up.

And, yes, it's kind of neat that we both coincidentally focused on Road Songs in this round of BOTB. (We need to pick up a 6-pack of "Road Soda" and hit the road!)

Unless I missed it, you didn't ask us to factor in the videos when we vote. For voting purposes, it's really all about the audio, yes?

Please don't shoot the voter, but I was able to eliminate the third version first. I'm not a huge fan of violin ("measure twice and shoot once"), although you certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself! :oD

I really, really liked the video for the first version, BPL. Loved the combination of road imagery and your grandkids chasing each other in circles. Perfect visuals for the song! And I sure do remember those massive wall-like dust storms in Phoenix! (Phoenix dust storms -- not something I miss, having moved to Nevada.)

The BPL recording also had the surf guitar element, and you already know how I feel about that. (The Beach Boys are quite possibly my favorite Rock/Pop group of all time.)

No offense intended whatsoever, but I preferred the vocals in LONNIE CARVER's recording. And the tastefully played guitar was really nice, too. I think my favorite version (the best of all worlds) would be if Lonnie sang to the BPL instrumental track.

In the final analysis (after playing #1 and #2 at least three times each), I feel the first contestant, BPL, had a sound, beat and rhythm that, to my ears, seemed the most "moving", as in forward momentum. That is to say, I think it best captured the spirit of open-road driving. That was the one I could best imagine myself driving down Geiger Grade to.

Terrific BOTB concept, LEE! And at this point, it looks like it's going to be a very competitive one all the way to the end, which makes it even that much better! Good job, Brother Boid!

This is really something! I think McCarthy stated it all correctly.1) Awesome that you actually accomplished this! Incredible, really.2) Great friends that helped you do it!3) The third one was silly and you emphasized that.

But the other two were good, and the first one, honestly, was QUITE good! Very cool!

I'm voting for the BPL version, and suggest that you collaborate more in the future.

No, that third vid was very clever... lots of good ideas. The vid within the vid within the vid has been done before, but NOT by a novice at all this stuff. It was great! And the "silly" comment was in regard to your mugging for the camera, fake 'running' on and off screen, wearing the cap backwards in the middle video, the confused look on your face at the sudden end of the song (in the middle vid,) etc.

You really put some great ideas and effort into it! Frankly, it struck me as a little "rappy". You might consider doing a rap version of it, throwing in some profanity and switching up the words each time for the chorus. An idea... not a suggestion, and not a joke either. It might work.

I had originally intended to do the song as a "rap", but I assure you that I'm not going to be doing any profanity. But the rapping idea might work. I have a friend who recites poetry well and I had thought of seeing if he wanted to do something. It all takes time and coordination of schedules.

I'm a road trip girl so it's #1 for me. What a great road trip song! I got the surf vibe but I also got an Eric Clapton 'Lay Down Sally' vibe. :) - #2 Lonnie's version put me to mind of early 80's REM, specifically the song, 'Talk About The Passion.' I love this whole idea. Good luck with this. Really.

Great job, Arlee. You are a talented guy. I would give my vote to the first one, BPL, but you might have gotten the vote for your version without the violin. I'm not a fan of that instrument and I feel that you were trying to sing faster than he was trying to play. Nice juggling too :)

Hi Arlee! I was wondering what my younger son who is a musician, composer etc would do with your song! It is yours and yours alone I'm assuming? It's great! I enjoyed the road trips video footage. I'm not mad on the violin for this. Lionel Carver's 2nd one was fabulous! Kudos to you for putting yourself out there! That was a trip in itself!

Susan, this song is mine alone and I'm giving any others who want to do a cover the permission to do so as long as they allow me to feature their version on my blog. I'll take a video or just a music file that I can add to a video. I hope your son gives it a try!

The song is catchy, I liked it. Well done. I did like your first version, you have a nice soft singing voice. Perhaps a bit too soft for this, for my tastes. I did like Lonnie singing, and the guitar was nice. Lonnie gets my vote, the bit of gravel in his voice gives the song a nostalgic feel that suits the lyrics.

After that third video, I.m looking forward to the Rapping Bird version. But for now, I'm leaning towards the surf vibe of the Bird/Palma/Lucero version with that multi-talented front-man - The Birdman.

I loved your version. The melody actually reminds me a bit of Adele's "Skyfall" in parts. You might have to stretch your imagination but it's there or at least that's what I'm hearing anyhow. :) Your mewsic direction is a purrfect fit for your song.

All that being said I think my overall preference of these covers go to Lonnie Carver. His East Tennessee flavor sits very well with this gal. Years ago I worked with a woman who's last name was Carver. I can't remember her first name nor can I remember which business it was now. *smack forehead* But, it would be cool to know if Lonnie and she were somehow related. :)

Great job! Thanks for stopping in to visit my BoTB, my friend. Have a great week!!

Lonnie, thanks so much for helping me in this project and as you can see by the comments you have support. Maybe you can start doing this song in your performances. If you ever do, please send me a video. It would be cool to have a live band performance on record.

Hi Lee,This is so exciting to be witness to, and to participate in, your dream fulfillment! I love the song. I really dig the lyrics and the imagery and the message.

As you know, I checked out all three on YouTube last week sometime so had an overall idea on how I might vote. But I waited until I had some true quiet time (which is really hard to come by around here) so I could devote serious consideration to all three. I've listened to each a few more times and narrowed it down to the first two.

The first one has a very cool beat-sound. It made me giggle too seeing your grandkids running in circles because it took me right back to my childhood when we would spend time at my grandparents home. They had a downstairs in which the rooms were all connected via doorways and us kids used to run and run and run in circles, through the living room, into the dining room, rounding into the kitchen and then back to the living room again....and again and again and again. Lord, how we used to get on the nerves of the adults! Sometimes we'd take it a bit too far and get yelled at and made to stop but most of the time, they just tolerated it. In fact, after viewing your video, I reminded my Mom of those years and asked "How on earth did you guys put up with us kids running around in circles like that, non-stop and being so loud?" and she said "We just did. The beer and poker helped I suppose..." hahaAnyway, that version gave me a good nostalgic feeling and made me smile.

And then there's Lonnie's version. That put me in mind of sitting around with friends, be it around a night-time campfire in the neighborhood or in a park on a summer day or hanging out with our friends as they jammed in their garages with rock-star dreams, just hanging out and passing the hours away, without a care in the world it seemed (back then that was the case, as I remember it anyway...). Sometimes it would be with folks we knew; other times with folks we didn't...Like the day a bunch of us girls were hanging out in a park around the Falls, all just chilling on a blanket spread out on a grassy knoll, taking in the sunshine on a warm summer day, and some guy walks by carrying a guitar and, well, you know how it was back in the 70s: we said Hi, he said Hi, we invited him over and he sat down on the ground and started strumming out Supertramp songs for us and we all just sang along and laughed and flirted the day away. It was a nothing sort of happening yet it's burned in our memories as "Hey, remember that day at Goat Island when that dude sat down and played Supertramp for us?" Ah, yep, burned in our memories and it brings a smile to our faces and we laugh and reminisce every time one of us brings it up. Lonnie's version reminds me of those kinds of times.

As a result, I think I like Lonnie's version better because of the mindset it puts me in. My vote goes to version #2.

Can't wait to see how this battle turns out and where the votes fall.Super cool battle here Lee. I like it a lot!

Casting a vote this time is difficult because I like your voice better in the last one, but the music better in the first one! So, I guess the first one? I know it's your voice in both, but the third one you sound better! Love the song!

Hi,I listened to all three versions. The first version came across as rock. I missed some of the meaning in the song. The beat was in my opinion too quickly pushing the some forward which took away from the lyrics.

By the way - the lyrics are very good. I would say fantastic. The beat of the meaning of life, discovering that life is a marathon not a sprint. The lyrics have meaning. Great job! And I mean that just as it is, Great job on the lyrics. Therefore, with dynamic lyrics, I was looking for a format that would fit the meaning given forth in the lyrics. Just wanted to say that because all forms are good but...and I will come to that later.

The second version with Lonnie Carter caught my attention. My ears stood up and more than that my heart was touched. Guitar and voice, a man singing of his life experiences and proclaiming that life is a marathaon. Version number one didn't touch my heart. It was good but this version touched my heart. This version fits the lyrics and the lyrics fit the beat. I love this version. It's a winner in my eyes. Maybe, it is because I am from the Deep South, but this version is emotional and it makes me think of the red clay hills of Georgia, and the southern states. Yes. this version is truly fantastic.

The third version, - it's rap man, it's really rap. Give these lyrics to a rapper that sings and he will make you jump up and down and start dancing. The lyrics don't loose their meaning. As a rap song it would definitely appeal to a generation that is younger than I am. I am the laid back kind of person that loves a beautifully played guitar and a voice that accompanies the melody with beautiful lyrics and sends my mind tripping on yesterday.

Conclusion: Do it. Get out there and do it. Start writing and selling those songs. I say that because I've done it and have some knowledge about writing songs. I've also written songs for a jazz band here in Germany, and songs for myself. The doors didn't open automatically, but then nothing good ever opens automatically. However, I am happy that I did it and that I do write songs. I've started writing songs for my new album. When it will be finished, I don't know, but I get in tune with myself when I am writing music. So I recommend to you, to just go ahead and start and persevere until you walk through the door and keep persevering once you're on top. So my vote is for Lonnie Carver and his laid back Dixie beat that reminds me of home.

I'm going to give it to the third version, though #1 was pretty good, too. (The MyPillow.com commercial was a nice touch in #1, by the way.) I liked #3 because (a) you were in it, (b) I know how hard it is to do the dubbing thing, and (c) I understood the words the best.

John, thanks--Me #3 needed that vote! I hope I'll get some more covers later, but this was a nice start. Actually I already have an updated revised version of the BPL #1. I'll probably use it in my winner announcement next Monday.

Well brother it has been awhile since we have communicated. I have lost my motivation after 9+ years of writing and have kind of let it go. But got your invitation to listen and vote. So, with all due respect to you, I think I choose the fourth version that should soon be coming out....

I would have liked it more if your voice stood out more in the BPL version. I almost found your voice and the lyrics overshadowed by the music. Since vocals is what draws me to music more, and Lonnie's vocals stood out more (likely due to the simplicity of just having a guitar), I'm going to put my vote there.

Let's see, since I could totally envision #1 as an opening song to a movie, I'm going for that one. Song writing is another ballgame from what I do, but I have mad respect for song writers. Great song, Arlee! :)

What a fantastic way to use your writing talents. I loved the first one. I do hear the Cars. I do think of myself on a long road trip and drumming my thumbs along to the beat. Thank you so much for sharing these videos and your talents. The grand kids are adorable too.

I used to dream of having the song lyrics I wrote sung by singers. I never knew how to do that, though. Even with some research I was still baffled. It's still a dream, though. I need to get back to writing songs. I used to love it so much. So I'm glad you found your way back to songwriting. :)

Chrys, for me just to have my own song that I could sing aloud or in my head has always been pretty cool. Songwriting can be so entertaining and relaxing. It would be nice to hear a professionally recorded version of a song I had written as interpreted by a singing star.

What a wonderful thing to do. I think I like number one best. I'm not that good a judge of music, but I love that you are doing this. Your grandkids are lucky to have you. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Elizabeth, honest opinions are what I want and if they're good I'll definitely take them. I'm glad you liked the song and hope you might share the YouTube videos. I need to boost the following of my YouTube channel.

How uber cool to be able to write, visualise and produce your own title. Congratulations!

The BPL version is technically very polished, very catchy, but the music overpowered the vocals a bit. I really liked the laid back simplicity and folksy interpretation of version 2, just connected with it more emotionally - my vote goes to LC. Best wishes for the songwriting!

Wow! Writing music is a whole new level of writing. Both versions are great - I love the individual interpretations. But I'm partial to the version as a backdrop for the road trip. It does have a Cars-like sound.

How exciting to be in on the blossoming of your song from an idea to a treasure of musical arrangements. I've got lyrics but no accompaniment or connections. So much fun to have this new adventure. Congrats!JQ Rose

There was a time when I posted all sorts of writing online. Nowadays, I'll post snippets, but I'm even rethinking those, given the changes I sometimes make. I don't want anyone to be disappointed when they read the actual book because the scene changed.

Never published a song. I'm looking forward to following you in your journey as a songwriter, though. My husband writes songs and has just recently started looking at what it takes to sell them. Good luck!

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

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A juggler of words and phrases. My main blog is Tossing It Out. The focus blog for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge can now be found at a-to-zchallenge.com where updates will be posted until the event in April begins.
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